Heather Mead, a researcher at TGen North in Flagstaff, is developing a new diagnostic test for Valley fever to provide a more accurate diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity. The research team is hoping to license their technology to a major Arizona-based clinical laboratory or adapt into a lateral flow assay to allow for rapid point-of-care testing.
Valley fever lives in the soil in the greater southwestern United States with Arizona having some of the highest case rates in the country. The project was one of the seven researchers selected by the Flinn Foundation this year for its Translational Seed Grants Program and the $100,000 award.
Since 2013, the Foundation has committed more than $10M in seed grants to 90 research teams. Mead’s work is helping to elevate Arizona’s startup ecosystem, one of the five goals identified in Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap. VIDEO